The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1887-01-29

dry skin drawn like drumhead over
the baby cheek bones. Two meager arms
terminating in two claw like hands were
outstretched in mute appeal toward old
Sandy. But no sound came from the
Midge's dry lips.
Bless my soul; it's all alone. Poor
little Midget
Old Sandy creaked in on the tiptoes of
his brand new shoes, making all the
more noise by reason of his superhuman
efforts to make none at all The canary
birds brought their chorus to an aston
ished halt and turned their small heads
sidewise to investigate him thoroughly,
evidently regarding him as a rival
musician of an unknown genus. Old
Sandy stopped when he reached the
cradle and said again very softly and
pitifully:
Bless my soull Poor little Midget
All alone. 1t wants me to walk iti''
Sandy was almost aghast at this sugges-
tion. I wonder if dare? The room S
cold, Midge, and you might catch cold,
and you DOM look as if you could stand
many more knock downs. =
The Midge, indeed fentomologically
niclznamed presumably for its slight
body and exaggerated cxtremties did not
look as if it could stand any more knock
downs at all, but as it persisted in its
mute demands of some sort, old Sandy
cast abou him furtively for something
to wrap it up in Nothing satisfac-
tory presented itself to his view. The
only shawl that was visible was the one
pinned up against the window, and it
was SO exceedingly dirty and moth eaten
that even if he had felt at liberty to in
terfere with the arrangements of the
tenant of the room in her absence he
would not have used it. The Midge,
growing tired of his unexplained inactiv-
ity, emitteda low wall from its small,
parched throat which seemed to throw
old Sandy completely on his beam ends.
Don't cry, Midge. Bless my soul,
don't cry. You shall have a walk. "
With sudden decision he jerked off
his old tweed coat, which, though cruel
ly inadequate out there on the wind
swept streets even when he had been
weather boarded with his wooden adver-
tisements, would doubtless present a
luxurious contrast for the Midge to the
wrinkled and GRUMPY quilt that he was
then enveloped in.
He did it rather clumsily, but the
Midge was no pampered darling of for
tune and allowed himself to be rolled
face downward and incased in old
Sandy's coat without protest. Only
once he gave sigh of relief when he
was finally hoisted high up and laid
against Sandy's restless breast, with his
small hot head resting on the old mans
uncoated shoulder. When old Sandy
began to creak soberly backward and
forward over the bare floor in his vocal
shoes, the canary birds, concluding by
this time either that he was harmless
sort of monster whose presence should
not be allowed to curtail their enjoy
ment of the sunshine, or else that the
sounds emitted by those shoes must be
drowned at all hazards, began singing
again with all the capacity of six little
yellow throats Sandy quite approved
of this performance on their part, and
stationing himself in the very broadest
sunbeam he could find he turned his
back toward the cages so as to bring the
Midge's weazened face close to the pretty
things singing there SO airily in the sum
shine, and singing as if there had never
had heart ached or broken. in all this
hard world. Purity burds singing for
Midget
He said it very persuasively, but the
Midge signified his disapproval of this
halt by bringing his small, cold feet
into convulsive contact with Sandy's
stomach, and clutching feebly at the
shirt collar against which one hot little
claw rested.
IN an idiot, Midge, of course am.
What's the purity birds to you when you
amt ever been out of sight or hearing
of their everlasting wobbling? But
therei money is in 'em, Midge. won
der where she is all this tine,' and full
of contrition for his error in Judgment
old Sandy resumed his tramp while the
Midge lay notionless in his inexperienced
arms. 1t seemed to him very long
time that he creaked up and down that
bare floored room with the Midge's little
hot head resting on his shoulder. Long
enough for him to make a great many
somber reflections on the barrenness of
its appointments. He had never seen it
before by daylight He had always
come of evenings, when he was legiti-
mately freed from his boards and was at
liberty to look after Jim s wife and boy,
as he had promised faithfully to do when
Jim, poor fellow, had died nearly year
gone now. 1t hadn't been much of an
undertaking nor at all unpleasant, for
Jim's wife was nice little creature, and
it had shortened many an evening for
old Sandy to sit in the room where the
cooking stove and the baby's s cradle and
the high swung canary birds cages were
all equally at home, and watch JiIn's
wife at her sewing. She was always
busy and neat and trim when old Sandy
came, and careful of the Nudge, too, and
that was what made it so hard to under
stand what looked like such cruel neglect
on her part now. He didn't deny it to
himself that little later on, when jim s
memory had grown less green, he would
like to ask Jim's wife to be his wife and
Jim's boy should be his boy.
Presently the door opened and Ji1n's
wife stood where Sandy himself had
stood about half an hour earlier She
was very pretty; especially at that mo-
ment, with her large, wondering eyes
fixed on old Sandy and flush from hur-
ried walking or some other cause dyeing
her cheeks bright red.
You here this time of day?n she said
with more of wonder than gratitude in
her voice, and stepping aside she dropped
a large paper parcel on the old trunk be-
hind the bed head.
Old Sandy looked at her APOLOGIZE
cally: He seemed so bad last night, you
know, I thought I'd run up and ask
after him. didn't think to stop SO long,
but finding him alone
Jim's wife had all this time been get
ting out of her bonnet and rather smart
looking new walking jacket. She an
swered testify with her back to him:
| Yes ran out for minute to do
an errand and borrow a coal of fire from
Mrs. Merric across the hail. made q
| good sale of five birds to-day. "
And forgot the coal of fire oid